Baghdad, 12 July 2014 – “I call on all parliamentarians to attend
the forthcoming session of the Council of Representatives on Sunday, 13
July. Failing to move forward on electing a new Speaker, a new
President, and a new Government risks plunging the country into chaos.
It will only serve the interests of those who seek to divide the people
of Iraq and destroy their chances for peace and prosperity”, the Special
Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq (SRSG),
Mr. Nickolay Mladenov said today.

“Iraq needs a team that can bring people together. Now is not
the time for mutual accusations, now is the time for moving forward and
compromising in the interest of the Iraqi people. A functioning
parliament will allow the country to work together against terrorism,
revitalize the political process through which the concerns of all
communities can be addressed, alleviate the humanitarian suffering of
over one million people, and ensure that human rights and democratic
achievements are protected”, he added.

“If serious solutions to
the current problems are not found, then all political leaders will have
to share their responsibility for failing to act with the necessary
sense of duty at a time of crisis”, Mr. Mladenov further stated. “As
political blocs seek agreement on the key personalities, the first step
is the election of a new Speaker during tomorrow’s scheduled parliament
session”, he underscored.

Q. The government is currently fighting Sunni militants in
the north. But I’ve heard some Sunnis refer to what is happening as a
“revolution.” How do you describe what’s happening?Yes, it is a revolution. But at the same time, the terrorists are taking advantage of it.It’s
a revolution that started a year and a half ago, as peaceful
demonstrations. [The government] didn’t deal with it according to the
constitution. Instead, they faced it with force. So it turned into a
military movement.

But it wasn’t as broad as we see now. The
Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) [which now calls itself the
Islamic State] took advantage of the gap between the government and the
people, and they invaded and occupied Iraqi cities.ISIS controls important military areas, but the wider geographical
area is in the hands of tribes and armed groups who are rebelling
against the government, and who before that were fighting the Americans.

We
need to differentiate between these groups and the terrorists. We need
to face ISIS militarily. But these other groups should be dealt with
politically.

And that may be the most intelligent conversation on the issue of Iraq and resistance that any US outlet has offered.

I'm traveling in some vehicleI'm sitting in some cafeA defector from the petty warsThat shell shock love away
-- "Hejira," written by Joni Mitchell, first appears on her album of the same name

The number of US service members the Dept of Defense states died in the Iraq War is [PDF format warning] 4489.

About Me

We do not open attachments. Stop e-mailing them. Threats and abusive e-mail are not covered by any privacy rule. This isn't to the reporters at a certain paper (keep 'em coming, they are funny). This is for the likes of failed comics who think they can threaten via e-mails and then whine, "E-mails are supposed to be private." E-mail threats will be turned over to the FBI and they will be noted here with the names and anything I feel like quoting.
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